Mechanism for cutting sheet material



P 26, 1939- B. J. FLORIAN 2,174,222

MECHANISM FOR CUTTING SHEET MATERIAL Filed March 7, 1958 lx/e mk Patented Sept. 26, 1939 MECHANISM Foa CUTTING SHEET MATERIAL Berkeley J. Florian, Plantsville, Conn.

Application March 7, 1938, Serial No. 194,288

4 Claims.

My invention relates to mechanism for cuttin sheet material and particularly to a pinking instrument resembling scissors for operating upon cloth, leather or other sheet material.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for expeditiously and accurately cutting cloth or other sheet material and particularly to provide an improved pinking instrument or scissors.

To these ends I have provided certain improvements in mechanism for cutting sheet material, particularly pinking instruments, as set forth in the following description, the several novel features of the invention being separately pointed out and defined in the claims at the close thereof.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure l is a side elevation of a pinking solssors constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a piece of sheet material after it has been operated upon by the pinking scissors shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional detail relating to the 2 cutting disk, hereinafter described, and its actuating pinion.

Figure 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the axle on which the anvil roll, hereinafter referred to, is rotatably 30 mounted.

Figure '7 illustrates another form of cutting disk.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to,6, inclusive, is a pinking instrument II or scissors comprising two lever members Ill and Ii which are pivotally connected together by means of a pintle i2 whose opposite end portions may be forcibly fitted within apertures provided in the lever member iii, the lever member 40 ii being loosely mounted upon the intermediate portion of said pintle so that it can be vibrated thereon.

Lever member iii is made at one end with a handle portion or finger-hold i3 adapted to be 45 gripped by the fingers of the hand of the operator, while the corresponding end of the lever member ii is made with a hole or aperture i4 to receive the thumb of said hand. The opposite end portion of the lever member In is bifurcated 50 to provide an upper jaw i5 and a lower jaw i6, said two jaws being separated by a slot l'i which is open at one end as shown. Both of these laws are hollow, the upper jaw i5 being formed with spaced-apart parallel side walls i8 to proil vide a slot or chamber which is occupied by one end of the lever member I i, said end being formed at its extremity with a gear segment i9 meshing with a pinion 20 that is rotatably mounted upon the tubular hub 2i of a cutting disk or wheel 22, the opposite ends of said hub abutting the side walls l8 as will be clear from Figs. 3 and 4.

The pinion or gear 20 is formed interiorly with a chamber 23 within which is arranged a coiled spring 24 which snugly fits the exterior of the tubular hub 2| of the cutting wheel or disk 22 but is loosely surrounded by the wall of the chamber 23. The end of the gear or pinion 20, adjacent to the cutting wheel 22, is formed with a radial slot 25 which communicates at its outer end with one end of the groove existing between two of the teeth of said gear or pinion. The end portion of the spring 24, adjacent to the cutting wheel or disk 22, is extended through this radial groove 25 and then bent laterally so as to occupy the space or groove just referred to so that said 20 outer end of spring 24 is interlocked with the gear or pinion and must move with the latter. The opposite end of spring 24 is confined within the recess 23 but otherwise free.

The tubular hub 2| of the cutting disk or 25 wheel 22 is loosely mounted upon a. pintle 26 forcibly fitted at its opposite ends within apertures provided in the side walls I3. It will, therefore, be clear that when the gear or pinion 20 is rotated in the direction of the arrow a in 30 Fig. 5 the spring 24 will be tightened up on the tubular hub 2i and clutch the latter so that said hub must turn with the gear or pinion, but when the said gear or pinion is rotated in the direction of the arrow b, Fig. 5, the coiled spring 24 will be unclutched from the tubular hub 2i particularly if rotary movement of the disk or wheel 22 is at such time opposed or prevented. Therefore, the spring 24 serves as a one-way clutch through which rotary motion of the gear or pinion in one direction acts to rotate the cutting wheel .or disk 22 in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1 while at the same time said gear or pinion is free to rotate in the opposite direction independently of the cutting wheel or disk 22.

The free end portion of the arm iii of lever member in is bifurcated to provide a slot 21 within which is arranged an anvil roll 28, said roll being mounted upon the intermediate portion 29 of an axle 30 which is formed with trunnion 3i and 32 at opposite ends of said intermediate portion 29. The end trunnions 3| and 32 of axle 30 are exteriorly cylindrical and disposed in axial alinement while the intermediate portion 29 of said axle is also exteriorly cylindrical but eccentrically disposed relatively 'to the end trunnions II and 32.

The end trunnions 2i and 32 of axle 30 are mounted within apertures provided in the arm I. and it will be clear that by rotating axle 30 the anvil roll 20 will be shifted toward or from the cutting wheel or disk 22. Normally, however, the axle 20 is securely locked against rotation relatively to arm I 6 by a set screw 33 mounted within a threaded hole provided in arm iii, the inner end of said set screw bearing against the trunnion II. The opposite trunnion 321s made upon its outer end with a slot 34 to receive a screwdriver or the like by means of which the axle may be rotated after loosening set screw 33.

After mounting the cutting wheel or disk 22, pinion 20 and anvil roll 20 within the lever member II the axle 24 is rotatively adjusted by means of a screwdriver or the like to cause the eccentric 29 to force the anvil roll 28 against the periphery of the cutting wheel or disk 22 and said axle is then looked in that position by means of the set screw 32. The length of the arm I6 gives to the latter some degree of resiliency so that the desired pressure of anvil roll 28 against cutter 22 may be secured through rotative adjustment of axle 30 and this pressure is sufficient to establish frictional engagement between the tubular hub 2| and pintie 26 so that when the gear or pinion 20 is rotated in the direction of the arrow b in Fig. said frictional engagement holds the cutter 22 against movement with said pinion in that direction and as a result the spring 24 is unclutched from hub 2i and turns freely thereon with the pinion. Also. when the pinion is rotated in the direction of the arrow 0, Fig. 5, the frictional engagement of hub 2| with pintie 26 yieldingly retards movement of cutter 22 sufliciently to cause the clutch spring 24 to grip hub 2| and overcome said frictional resistance with the resuit that cutter 22 is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1.

When the edge of the sheet material is introduced into the bight 34 between cutter 22 and anvil roll 28 and the operator forces the handle ends of lever members Ill and II together the cutter 22 is rotated in the direction of the arrow,

Fig. 1, and the sheet material is fed between the anvil and the cutter by the latter and since the anvil roll is held against movement away from the cutter by the arm I 6 during this operation the sheet material is slitted by the cutter 22.

Thus continued vibration of the lever members Ill and II relatively causes the instrument not only to slit the sheet material but to feed the latter between the anvil roll and cutter.

In Figs. 1, 3 and 4 the outer marginal portion of the cutting wheel or disk 22 is crimped so that the cutting edge thereof is sinuous, as shown in Fig. 3, with the result that the instrument performs a pinking operation upon the sheet material; that is, it forms a sinuous slit bordered by scollops or angles as shown at 34 in Fig. 2.

Both the cutting wheel or disk 22 and the anvil roll 28 are hardened to a high degree and the periphery of the cutting wheel is ground cylindrically and concentric with the axis thereof so as to provide the same with a narrow sinuous peripheral surface 35 which is concentric with the axis of the wheel and with sharp corners 36 and 2'! at opposite sides of said peripheral surface.

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated a cutting wheel in theform of a flat disk 22!! which, if substituted for the cutter 22, will produce a straight slit in the sheet material although the same result may be secured by use of the ordinary scissors.

What I claim is: I

1. A scissors mechanism for cutting sheet material comprising a cutting wheel; an anvil roll having a smooth cylindrical peripheral surface contacting with the periphery of said cutting wheel; a support on which said wheel is rotatably mounted said support being made with a fingerhold, an axle mounted on said support so that it is rotatively adjustable, said axle being made with an eccentric portion on which said anvil roll is rotatably and directly mounted and by which said roll is rigidly held in contact with the periphery of said wheel; means for locking said axle in its adjusted position, and mechanism including a finger-operated lever for rotating said cutting wheel thereby to cause the latter to feed the material between said roll and said wheel and simultaneously to slit said material.

2. A mechanism for cutting sheet material comprising a cutting wheel having its outer marginal portion fluted to provide the same with a sinuous periphery; an anvil roll having a smooth cylindrical peripheral surface contacting with the sinuous periphery of said cutting wheel; a bifurcated support on one branch of which said wheel is rotatably mounted; a rotatively adjustable axle mounted on the other branch of said support parallel with the axis of said wheel, said axle being made with an eccentric portion on which said anvil roll is rotatably mounted and by which said roll is rigidly held in contact with the sinuous periphery of said wheel; means for securing said axle in its adjusted position, and means for rotating said cutting wheel thereby to cause the latter to feed the material between said roll and said wheel and simultaneously to slit said material sinuously.

3. A mechanism for cutting sheet material constructed in accordance with claim 2 and wherein said wheel is made with a hub and wherein said last mentioned means of claim 2 includes a gear rotatably mounted on said hub, one-way clutch means through which rotary movement of said gear in one direction acts through said hub to rotate said wheel, and a lever pivotally mounted on said support and made with a gear segment meshing with said gear, said lever being operable to oscillate said gear thereby to rotate said wheel step by step in one direction.

4. A pinking scissors for cutting sheet material comprising twopivotally connected lever-members having proximate handle end portions adapted to be engaged, respectively, by the fingers and thumb of the hand of the operator, the opposite end portion of the lever-member that is engaged by the fingers of the operators hand being bifurcated to provide two branches which are separated by a slot that is open at one end; a cutting wheel rotatably mounted on one branch of said last mentioned lever-member adjacent to the open end of said slot and made with a hub, said cutting wheel having its outer marginal portion radially fluted to provide the same with a narrow sinuous cylindrical periphery; a rotatively adjustable axle mounted on the other branch of said last mentioned lever-member adjacent to the open end of said slot and parallel with the axis of said wheel, said axle being made with an eccentric portion; an anvil roll rotatably mounted upon said eccentric portion having a smooth cylindrical peripheral surface that is rigidly supported in contact with the sinuous periphery of said cutting wheel by said eccentric portion;

means for securing said axle in its adjusted posi-- tion; a gear rotatably mounted on said hub and meshing with a gear segment provided on said thumb-operated lever-member, and one-way vclutch means through which rotary movement of said gear in one direction imparted thereto by said thumb-operated lever-member acts through said hub to rotate said wheel thereby to cause the latter to feed the material between said roll and said wheel and simultaneously to slit said material sinuou'sly.

BERKELEY J. FLORIAN. 

